Gas chromatographic analysis of the thermal and photochemical reaction products in diethyl ether solutions of nitrogen oxides

Summary When dissolved in diethyl ether, nitrogen dioxide reacts with the solvent, slowly at room temperature, more rapidly on heating of UV irradiation. A complex mixture of products is formed in which further changes are observed after prolonged storge: these are less pronounced if the unreacted nitrogen oxides are removed. A gas chromatographic method was applied for the identification of the majority of products. Irradiation does not change significantly the qualitative and quantitative composition of the reaction products. The reaction is thus the so-called photo-induced process ΔG<0]. Preliminary suggestions are made concerning the reaction mechanism.